As revealed on prweek.com/uk (9 February), the association for councils in England and Wales has brought in Hillingdon Council's comms head David Holdstock to provide a voice for councils hit by swingeing cuts.

Holdstock told PRWeek: 'The challenge is going to be how we can support councillors and councils to explain what they are delivering in these tough times.'

He pointed to major changes facing local authorities this year, such as the Localism Act, greater responsibility for public health and the social care agenda, all of which will be focal points for his work.

Holdstock expects to be in his new post by May.

Luke Blair, who as board director of London Communications Agency has been covering the job on an interim basis, said Holdstock was 'the right person to lead the LGA into its next phase under chief executive Carolyn Downs'.

Downs has already established herself as a strident voice for the LGA. Speaking at last week's Guardian Public Services Summit 2012, she said she would avoid cliches of 'doing more for less, which have become tired and trite. Now we will be doing less for less.'